TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The Florida Nurses Association is speaking out on a new U.S. Department of Education rule that excludes nursing from its list of professional degrees.

The move is set to take effect in July 2026 and could cut available student loans in half for those seeking graduate and advanced degrees in nursing.

The head of the Florida Nurses Association, Willa Fuller, calls it a “real blow” that could have ripple effects, potentially impacting the quality of patient care and making Florida’s current nursing shortage even worse.

“I think with the nursing shortage the way it is, we need to do everything we can to shore up nursing education and to make sure it’s more accessible to people who really want to do this as a position. It takes special people and we don’t want to

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